Gossip
by emmestorm
Summary: Quil and Embry gain a little perspective into Leah's life.


Quil made his way through the throng towards his brothers who were – naturally – standing next to the buffet. "Have you guys seen Leah? Seth was looking for her."

Shoving the rest of his hotdog into his mouth, Jared shook his head no. The boys scanned the large crowd in front of them, easy enough since they fairly towered over most of the guests.

It was Embry that spotted Leah first, leaning against the wide base of an ancient oak on the fringes of the party. She seemed to be preoccupied, gazing into the crowd with a stony expression. The object of her scrutiny appeared to be a pair of elderly women about thirty feet away.

Quil snorted. "What's she doing?"

Embry laughed, rolling his eyes. "I don't know but something has got her pissed off. Not that it takes much to set her off. For someone that always acts so bitchy, she sure is sensitive."

Quil nodded in agreement. "Come on. I don't want to face her alone." Throwing a quick see-you-later over their shoulders at Jared and the others, Quil and Embry headed back through the crowd towards the other side of the gathering where Leah was standing alone. Quil nodded his head towards the women on the receiving end of Leah's murderous glare. "Wonder what they're saying, anyway?" The boys paused close to the women to catch their conversation.

One of the women tossed a conspiratorial glance towards Leah before leaning in to whisper to her friend. "Well, you know that she used to date Sam Uley, and-"

Her friend's eyes went wide in surprise. "Wait, she dated Sam Uley? Leah Clearwater?"

"Oh my, yes. Everybody thought that they'd end up married – or pregnant, if you know what I mean." The old women tittered, a sound like grackles. "But then he up and _left_ her for her _cousin_, Emily, and now _they're_ married. It was all quite sudden. A little scandalous, if you ask me."

"Gracious! Can't say that I blame the poor boy, though. Emily is _so_ sweet. Do you know she brought us homemade jam and bread when we moved back last August?" The women fairly cooed at the mention of Emily. "But that Leah, now she walks around most 'o the time with a big ol' scowl on her face." The woman dropped her voice another notch, leaning in towards her friend once more to share her gossip. "And just last week I heard her_ yelling _at poor old Mrs. Combsjust because she asked Leah why she didn't have a husband yet or some nonsense. Which _is_ odd, a girl her age, not married, no boyfriend, or anything."

"Heavens yes. And the way she runs around with all of those boys. Half the time she's 'bout naked as a jaybird, wandering around town in shorts and those little bitty tops." The other woman gave a disapproving tsk, tsk, a frown on her face as she glanced towards Leah again. "I can't believe that her Mama hasn't put a stop to that, being on the Council and all. She has a reputation to think about, you know."

The tsk, tsk lady spoke again. "Everybody already knows that those boys are up to something anyway, even though it seems like Sam keeps 'em pretty well in hand. And boys will be boys, after all. But still, a body's got to wonder what it is _she_ does with them all the time," she said, wiggling her eyebrows sugesstively. "Ought to be ashamed of herself. Her daddy is probably rolling over in his grave, God rest his soul."

At this, Leah's eyes became suspiciously wet. Quil and Embry stopped abruptly, shocked at the women's conversation, and truly understanding, perhaps for the first time, some of their sister's pain.

Quil looked over at Embry, a question in his eyes that Embry answered affirmatively. Together, they approached the elderly women, interrupting their conversation. "Excuse me, ma'm?"

The women looked up suddenly, surprised at having been caught gossiping. "Oh, my. Hello. Quil Ateara and Embry Call, right?"

"Yes, ma'm. We couldn't help but overhear you ladies talking about our friend Leah. Maybe you shouldn't be talking about things you don't understand."

"How rude! Eavesdropping on a private conversation!" They each glanced around at the crowd surrounding the, looking scandalized that someone might have overheard their talk. "How in Heaven did you hear us anyway? Nosy little boys."

"It doesn't matter. It's not right to be talking about Leah that way. You have no idea why she is the way she is, or why she does what she does. And if her mother, who_ is_ a Tribal Elder now," Embry looked pointedly in the direction of the council, "doesn't have a problem with it, then you shouldn't either."

Quil looked towards Leah, who was standing stock still, her mouth open in shock. He knew that she heard everything. Turning back to the women, he said, "Leah is our friend. And believe me, she has done nothing to deserve this kind of talk. We'd appreciate it if you didn't speak about her that way anymore. And if you do have any problems with Leah, or with any of us for that matter, you need to take it up with us instead of gossiping about us behind our backs. It's impolite."

The boys walked around the women, who still wore expressions of disbelief, towards the tree where Leah stood. Quil and Embry smiled at her as she gave them an uncharacteristic grin. She looked puzzled, confused that they would stand up for her.

Quil lightly punched her arm. "Seth's lookin' for you." With a knowing nod of his head, he turned to walk back towards the crowd.

"See ya later, Lee." Embry followed Quil back into the gathering. Leah stood, staring at the boys retreating figures. She glanced over towards the women that had been gossiping about her, but they were still silent, an embarrassed red blush on their cheeks. A quiet laugh escaped her mouth; the unfamiliar sound almost scared her. She headed down towards the party, looking for Seth, still smiling.


End file.
